I’ve decided to close down this blog and part ways with the HLB community. While this blog is a big part of who I was, it doesn’t reflect where I am or where I’m going. There are big and small changes happening in my life, and I want to dedicate my time and attention to them and to finding my place in the outside world.

Blogging has meant (and still means) so much to me, and I can’t believe how many of you wonderful women I have gotten to know thanks to it. I may returning to blogging in some other form, fashion and location in the future, but until then if you’d like to be e-mail pals, feel free to drop me a message at allieelyse@gmail.com.

I love y’all and am wishing you the best with your personal journeys. Have fun, laugh lots, and don’t take life too seriously.

Red.

Cooked or fresh–It doesn’t matter what you do with tomatoes (such as eat them whole like an apple while standing in your garden…), their summer sweetness can’t be beat. Or duplicated by any grocery store version.

I love Meghan, I love lists, I love showing up three days early for a party (and twice in one week). So let me get all meta here and give you a list…of lists! In review!

A Peek at My Week

(via “to-do”s and “done”s)

So there you have it! Somehow Monday and Tuesday have become my new weekend. Wednesday and Thursday are for freelance work, and weekends are for actual “work.” And what else is on the list for today? Oh, a little fitness, a little food, and a little fun–date part two, double woo woo.

I love living local, so with that, I’m using this Week in Review to review…one day. Of living eating in the lap of local luxury. I’d apologize to Meghan for skewing her link-up into a What-I-Ate-Saturday, but I know she shares my passion for fresh ingredients–so maybe I’ll get a pass on this one?

One of my favorite things to do on Saturdays is drive to the Franklin Farmer’s Market. This bustling hub of high-end farm-snobbery isn’t where I get much produce, but it is where I get the world’s most amazing biscuit sandwiches (from the Biscuit Love Truck) that are chock-full of local eggs and cheese on perfect, tangy scratch-made biscuits. This week the market also featured two rather cute dudes from local roasters Eighth and Roast serving up what they promised would be the best cup of coffee I ever had. Now, I will vote for it as pretty damn good and, perhaps, the most caffeinated cup of caffeine,but best? Well, I’ll just have to do some more research about that one. As soon as I work through these caffeine-withdrawal shakes…

And true to my current lame-blogger form, I forgot my camera. There was no way I was waiting and not chomping and slurping down on the drive home. You can just imagine how spectacular the biscuit was.

The local love wasn’t over after that brunch (meaning, I also ate breakfast and lunch, but wedged a giant biscuit meal in between), since I had big party plans for the evening. I went all out, by getting all my food in (from my garden).

The Good: I finally finished a two-week project to clean up the landscaping in my front yard.

The Bad: My garden has reverted to being a wild jungle due to monsoon rains and lack of attention.

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The Good: I’ve been eating some really tasty, fresh foods.

The Bad: That business is expensive!

Chili with garden-fresh zucchini and cilantro.

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The Good: I now have two part-time jobs!

The Bad: I broke my toilet to the tune of $325-worth of repairs. By accidentally springing the toilet-paper holder down the drain just as the toilet was flushing. Don’t even ask how that happened. I still don’t understand my life.

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The Good: I’m getting to know my new room-man, and he’s a pretty cool (and incredibly quiet and tidy) dude.

The Bad: Pretty sure I creeped him out when he walked into a room just as I was calmly but angrily stating, “I will kill you when you least expect it.” It may have been directed toward a housefly I’d been chasing around all day…but out of context?

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The Good: I’m doing a lot of writing for work and for fun.

The Bad: I took a bit of an unintentional break from blogging to do so. I miss you guys!

Have I ever mentioned I’m a bit fruity? No? Well, let’s go back in time and take a trip down memory lane. To last weekend.

I mentioned my budget lockdown on Monday–So what’s this week’s money-saving advice? Eat other people’s fruit! Fruit is expensive. Not-your-food is free! So when I visited my parents last weekend, I made sure to raid their fridge for fresh, juicy goodness.

Like freshly picked berries.

Perfect plain or on big bowls of cereal.

Like entire cantaloupes.

Eaten in one sitting (or, rather, one standing-next-to-the-fridge). I wish I was exaggerating. No I don’t. I’m still not entirely sure how I fit it all in me, but, oh, it was delicious.